


hear me out

by aquaticflames



Series: birthplace [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tony Stark Has A Heart, as per usual: not a beta in sight, don't worry they'll be here soon, on some package holiday to make up for lost quality time together, steve's mentioned because i just love the idea of him pissing off with bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:09:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquaticflames/pseuds/aquaticflames
Summary: “You’re overthinking this. Justtalkto him.”She smiled sadly at him, exasperated and fond all at once. Nothing got past Pepper.“–I’ll get little miss into bed to give you boys some time to chat.”–––title from novo amor's 'utican'.





	hear me out

**Author's Note:**

> once again, this continues from _'for five years'_, the fic before this one.
> 
> all fics in this series will take place in the same world. :)

It was the golden summer evenings that Tony treasured the most, the ones that slowly faded into deep crimson sunsets and starlit skies. High pressure always made for clear weather, most common in the summer, and on those nights– without a single cloud between them and the inky expanse of space, he and Pepper liked to sit out on the porch with glasses of Pinot Noir and drink up the calm.

Tony had been scared of space ever since 2012. He would be the first to admit it; Tony was  _ scared _ of space since he almost met his end in it all those years ago.

The Space he arrived at through the wormhole had been a turbulent one, though. Teeming with life, all of it out to kill him. He tries not to think about those fateful thirty seconds too much, or seeing the writhing Leviathans as he fell back to earth– which, ironically, was not the  _ last  _ time he’d see them.

They all saw them– had to  _ kill _ the gargantuan beasts– in a battle that almost ended everything right at home base. 

But he’d learned on his last trip offworld that space could haunt him in an entirely different way.

The silence was equally as terrifying; Starvation sending him in and out of consciousness, the threat of suffocation hanging over him like a veil.

Thank goodness Earth was never truly silent.

But  _ god _ , he couldn’t deny it was beautiful. Gazing upon Westerlund 2 as he drifted off on the Benetar was something that would  _ never _ leave him, and he was determined to take forward the awe and marvel with him, leaving that wretched terror behind.

So he sat by the cabin porch on clear nights with his gorgeous wife, and a glass of far-too-expensive Pinot Noir so he could toast to  _ space _ .

Which brought him right back to the thing that had left him feeling all existential that evening.

“You’re scaring me now, Tony.” Pepper shifted in her seat, one slipper-adorned foot brushing up against his calf. “No sane person is  _ this  _ interested in the colour of their wine.”

He snapped his gaze up from the glass clutched in his grasp and rubbed a tired hand down his face. “–Gosh, sorry Pep. What did you say?”

“I asked why were staring off into space at lunch earlier,” One elegantly shaped eyebrow quirked upwards and she set her own glass aside on the little table between them. “Morgan asked you for another sandwich and you just  _ stared _ at the plate until Pete kicked you. What’s got you so preoccupied?”

That was just it, though, wasn’t it? Tony wasn’t even sure if he was getting worried over nothing. Hesitantly, he took a sip of his wine, gazed at the stars as though they’d spell out the answer, and sighed. The glass clinked against Pepper’s when he deposited his, too. “I’m having second thoughts about retirement.”

If he hadn’t been married to Pepper for five years– hadn’t  _ known _ her for almost two decades, now– he may have missed her astonishment, as well-hidden as she tried to keep it. She resumed sipping her wine.

_ Shit. _

He hurried to elaborate. “Not because I want to keep at it,  _ hell _ no.” Some previously-missed tension seemed to melt from his wife’s frame. “–I’m just worried about what I’d be leaving behind.”

“I thought you were set on this, though?” She frowned, concern lining her brow. “You retired during the blip. What changed?”

“During the blip there was nothing to leave anything  _ to _ .” Tony felt that familiar anxiety begin coiling its way around his throat. Pepper's warm palm enclosed his own hand, bringing his attention back to Earth. “–And now…? How could I do that to them?”

“Steve’s still here,” Pepper’s voice was so gentle, not pushing or pleading. Only suggesting. “–And Barnes. Stephen’s down in the city too, and Wakanda's still strong.”

“Steve’s not going to be active much longer, he’s no better off than I am, physically. Besides–” He scoffed, a grin crossing his face for the first time that evening. “–He’s going to be preoccupied from now on, isn’t he?”

Pepper grinned, rolling her eyes fondly. “That’s for sure. Can’t wait for all the sappy postcards.”

They lapsed into a fond silence, comfortable in each other's presence. With the quiet hanging over them, Tony could make out the chirping of cicadas and laughter from somewhere inside through the open door. Apparently Pepper could too, because she got to her feet in a flourish, gathered up their glasses and leant down to press a tender kiss to the tip of his nose.

“You’re overthinking this. Just  _ talk _ to him.” She smiled sadly at him, exasperated and fond all at once.  _ Nothing  _ got past Pepper. “–I’ll get little miss into bed to give you boys some time to chat.”

“Yaay,” He drawled, unenthusiastic to his core. He hastened to surrender when she glared at him, though. “Alright, alright. I’ll send her to you, and make sure she settles.”

When Pepper waved him off and headed to the kitchen, he stood up on weary bones– still sore from his recovery– and followed the source of the laughter up the stairs. After gently pushing Peter’s bedroom door open, he found himself glad that he’d stayed quiet.

Sure enough, Peter and Morgan were sat cross-legged across from each other on the boy’s rug, a sprawling LEGO city constructed between them. Tony was more than impressed; They’d only retreated upstairs a couple hours ago after dinner, and Peter was clearly taking a backseat with the city planning. Morgan had neat piles of blocks organised beside her, arranged by colour, and Peter was swathed in a technicolour mess of scattered bricks.

He allowed himself one second to take in the moment, watching as Peter pointed to an open spot on a stray street corner, Morgan affixing a bright pink lamp post to it.

“How’s the construction going? I hope you’re finally developing some project management skills.”

Peter sat back on the palms of his hands, breathing out a contented chuckle. “Nah, she’s got this. ‘Morganville’ is looking awesome.”

Tony let out a full belly laugh at that, and the kid grinned back at him. 

Tony stepped further into the room. “Morgoona, I think it’s time for bed, don’t you?”

She whirled to face him, setting a half-constructed bridge down and crossing her arms with a pout. “But it’s not finished!”

“It’ll still be here tomorrow,” Tony bent down and gently worked to unfold her arms, rubbing soothing circles into her little hands. Morgan seemed to melt a little and she got to her feet, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. “Say g’night to Petey.”

“Nu-night.” She mumbled, waving clumsily at him and smiling when Peter waved back. They found Pepper waiting in the bathroom, Morgan’s toothbrush in hand, and after handing her over he headed back to Peter’s room, hoping to catch him before he settled in for the night too.

He was still sat in the same spot, leant back on one hand and picking a loose thread on his jeans with the other. Waiting.

“So what’s up?” Peter prompted, a distant look in his eyes as he surveyed their creation. Tony chuckled as he sat down beside him, leaning up against a dresser and groaning slightly when his joints complained at the strain. He distantly prayed the ache in his bones would ease up soon. He was too young for this.

“Never could get anything past you, huh?” Tony began absent-mindedly picking up scattered LEGO blocks, sticking them together at random. 

“You passed up giving Morgan her bedtime story,” Peter pointed out. “–You clearly wanna talk about  _ something _ .”

“Yeah,” His eye caught a LEGO figure stuck on top of a tall building. An Iron-Man figure; Mark forty-six, if the paint job on it was accurate enough. “–Yeah, I do.”

Peter stayed quiet, waiting for Tony to elaborate himself– but he had no idea where to start. It’d never been his style to sit on a decision and write up everything he’d say (his impromptu Iron-Man reveal 15 years prior served as evidence of the fact;  _ Christ _ , had it really been that long?), but in a way this felt more important than that. This was a decision that would impact those around him for  _ years _ to come– would map out his remaining days on Earth and how everyone in his life fit into them– so sue him for being careful for once.

He noticed Peter beginning to sort stray LEGO bricks into piles by set and pack. He was getting nervous.

“I’ve been sitting on something for a while,” A wonky, multicoloured clocktower was taking shape in his palms as he fiddled. “–And I thought it was all clear-cut. Thought I knew what I wanted, but I realised your opinion matters more than my own, in a way.”

When Peter didn’t comment or make any movement to show he’d heard, Tony glanced up and followed the boy’s line of sight, spotting the Iron-Man figure again.

_ God, this kid is brilliant _ .

“...You already know, don’t you?”

Slowly, Peter nodded. His knees came up to his chest, chin rested atop them. “Hard not to, really. You retired during the blip, right? It makes sense that you’d do it again, now that everyone’s back.”

“That’s the problem, though,” Tony sighed, something coiling uncomfortably in his stomach at how reserved Peter was being.  _ Shut-off. _ “Retiring before was easy.”

“But it’s different now.” Peter mumbled, and to Tony’s horror his eyes began to mist over. “Tony, I don’t think I can–”

“Woah woah, kid? What’s up?”

Tears slipped unencumbered down Peter’s cheeks, and the boy buried his face against his knees, hugging himself tighter. He mumbled something, stilted and reserved, and only after gentle prompting did he speak up.

“I can’t do it, Tony,” Peter hiccuped, and Tony’s heart broke in two at the sound, at the implication of his confession. “I-I’m not an Avenger, I  _ died _ on my first day and almost got  _ you _ killed too, a-and–”

“Nope, none of that.” Tony shuffled across the rug, carpet burns be damned, and perched himself right beside the boy, a hand firmly braced on his shoulder. “–That was a lapse in judgement on my part, and not because I don’t think you’re capable– but because  _ you _ don’t feel ready yet.”

Peter looked up at him, misted eyes continuing to water, eyelashes coated with tears. Something in Tony crumpled, and he felt desperate to make things right.

_ Jesus, where did he go so wrong with this? _

“Okay, okay– let’s have an intervention.” He leant over into ‘Morganville’ and plucked up the Iron-Man LEGO figure, precariously balancing atop Peter’s knee. The boy looked at it, confusion clouding his expression.

“You–” Tony got comfortable, making sure his bad arm was still safely tucked against him. “–give your questions to LEGO me, and real me will answer them.”

A smile crept onto Peter’s face, and he carefully took the LEGO Iron Man from Tony’s grasp, holding it tenderly between thumb and forefinger of both hands. “‘Kay… Are you going to quit forever?”

“The Avengers? Yes. Being Iron Man? Hell no.” Peter’s gaze snapped up, highly confused, and Tony sighed. “–Ah, see! I knew we weren’t on the same page. Did you know that I once blew every suit I owned to hell?”

“No…?” Peter's confusion was evident in the tilt of his head.

“Yeah, I did– gosh, a decade ago now. But I never stopped being Iron Man. I will  _ always _ put the suit back on when it’s needed. If  _ you _ need me.”

Peter was quiet then, his hiccuping long since subsided. He stared at the LEGO figure in his grasp, hesitant. Tony waited.

“And everyone else? Steve?”

“Already retired with Barnes. Give ‘em some slack, they’re  _ literally _ both 105.”

“Dr. Banner and Mr. Barton? Dr. Strange...?”

Tony chose that moment to study the boy. With hunched shoulders and his legs tucked up against him, he looked so small.  _ So scared _ .

It was with a horrible, guilty tug on his heart that he realised  _ Peter didn’t want to be the only one left _ .

“I don’t think the Avengers are going to have much to do from now on, kiddo.” Tony admitted gently. “The thing that’s been haunting us for over a decade? It’s gone. But the neighbourhood still needs its friendly Spider.”

When Peter looked up at him then, with such a fiercely burning gratitude behind his eyes, Tony was sure he didn’t deserve it. He would never be deserving of that boy’s love.

“I don’t wanna move back,” Peter admitted, letting his legs unfold so he was sat cross-legged again. He leant forward and stuck the Iron Man LEGO back where it had come from, a careful attention to detail that warmed Tony’s heart. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“We’re only a phone call away, Pete.” Tony chuckled.

“Or a  _ two hour  _ drive, depending how you look at it.”

“Glass half empty, much?” Tony scoffed. “–And I’ll have you know it can easily be a ten-minute flight.”

“Wait– you can fly at the speed of sound in the suit?”

Tony ruffled the boy’s hair, so unbelievably proud of him. “Sure can, kiddo.”

They sat in a comfortable quiet after that, adding to the mismatch LEGO clocktower as the actual clock above Peter’s bed showed the evening steadily progressing. Once it was complete, mostly red and yellow because Peter was a  _ nerd _ , he let the boy stick it atop a garish pink police station, and proudly perch the Iron Man figurine atop it.

“Seriously though, are you okay if I set the avenging aside?” Tony leant back against the dresser once more, tired and achy. He really needed to get up and stretch a little. “–You can be the friendly Iron Arachnid from now on, with the occasional help of yours truly: the lame old tin-can, when the perps are more of a nuisance.”

Peter laughed, a proper one right from the chest, and Tony felt lighter than ever. “In no universe will you  _ ever _ be a lame tin-can.”

“Oh no you don’t, just you wait until I’m rolling around on wheels, feeding my grandkids garbage behind your back.  _ Then  _ you’ll regret saying that.”

The more sincere implication of that didn’t go unnoticed; Peter leaned into Tony’s side, heaving a contented sigh. When Tony wormed his good arm up and over the kid’s shoulders, he melted into the hug.

“How ‘bout it, then? Once Steve and Bucky quit being disgustingly domestic in Honolulu, we can help them move into their new apartment, get you back on the NYC map?”

“Sounds good,” Peter smiled. “But right now, this is nice.”

**Author's Note:**

> wow, sorry this one is a little later than expected! I got my finals back this week; all As! I'm off to my dream university in autumn so forgive me for the tardiness. I think I'm excused in this case :')
> 
> as mentioned in this fic; the star cluster, [westerlund 2](https://media.stsci.edu/uploads/video/preview_frame/778/v1215a.jpg) \- home to some of the biggest and brightest stars found to date.
> 
> hope you enjoyed and leave a comment if you did! ❤︎︎  
feel free to leave suggestions for future fics, too. :)


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